Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Best Laid Plans...

At 1.9 million acres or 3,000 square miles, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument offers enough to keep one busy for a lifetime...except for the heat. It's already getting warm, but I figured it'd be a week before it got hot. Route determined, herring, gin and lox acquired, I stopped to check email. A serendipitous Craigslist search for a Geo Tracker turned up a mighty pretty face in Weiser, Idaho. After a lengthy conversation with the owner, I went off to sleep on it. The road is well-hidden. Although shown in the Delorme, it wasn't on the GPS and the location on the map wasn't clear. I stopped to ask. Peggy, managing the place, and Mark, a horse wrangler, were on the veranda discussing the weather. I'd barely settled muhse'f when a car pulled up...stopping mere inches from my knee and equidistant from Schvoogie's fender. (Double El thinks he looks like a house slipper.) While remonstrating the driver I noticed the word Sheriff on the side of the car. Cop humor: "Where yuh from and where yuh goin'?" has never hit my funny-bone. I offered to arm wrestle. He gave good directions and left.Crossing Waweap Creek.

Dispersed camping is allowed everywhere...you can get to. But with NO cross-country travel and zero side-roads, at least in the five miles I traveled, it meant this song was echoing. I chose a wide spot. (Oh, BTW, overnight camping permits are required. To give him credit, when I copt some 'tude about the reg, he said to relax, there's only one enforcement officer and he lives in Cedar City.A Wider Place

German Flag Suspenders and After-dinner Coffee

The Schvoog isn't cuttin' it tho'. He's several inches too short for comfortable reclinement. Fortunately, it's warm enough to sleep out. (That thar's muh bedroll behind me.) But with just ten gallons on board his belly rubs at the least protrusion; the 20 for this trip had him really hunkered. Not good.In the morning I called the guy and said I'd be right up.

About Me

﻿I retired from arts administration in 2004. In January of 2010 I went nomadic in my 3-cylinder 1999 Chevy (Suzuki) Metro hatchback that got 50mpg. Then, after an altercation in April 2016 with a RAM 2500 (my fault) I switched to a 1996 Geo Tracker with 4WD.
Currently (2/6/18) in the wilds of southern Arizona enjoying the warmth of climate change.
Destination is by whim.
-- email: mfhalb@gmail.com --
More photos on flickr at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mfhalb/sets